Improvement in game apparatus



y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE...

THEOPHIL STEVENS, or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

" IMPROVEMENT IN GAME APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 1 73 ,824, dated February 22,1876 application filed i January13,1 87(i.

erence being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in

. Which Figure l repre'sentsa top view of the table used in playing my improved game; Fig. 2,a

vertical longitudinalseetion of the same Fig.

3, the bowls; and Figs. 4, 5, and 6, views of other implements constituting a part of my inven tion. Fig. 7 is a vertical cross-section of one of the bowls, showing its form of construction.

The object of my invention is to furnish a game combining exercise and amusement, the necessary means for playing which may be provided at comparatively small cost, and

which issusceptible of being played in a par lor' or other private place.

The nature of my invention will be more readilyunderstood from the description which isto follow. i y

In order that others skilled in theart may be enabled to make the necessary implements and use my invention, I will now proceed to describe the same, with references to the drawings, in which- L p A represents the frame of a table, of rect angular or other proper form, and about twelve feet in length, and about seven and one-half feet in width, and which issupported upon a suitable number of legs to give the required stability. In height it very nearly corresponds to that of the ordinary billiard or pool table. This frame may be constructed in such a manner as to permit of its being readily taken apart and put together,'whenever desired. B is the bed of the table, and is about two and one-half inches thick, and may be made of any suitable material that will present asmooth, flat, and hard surface, and may, like the frame A, be constructed in sections, if preferred, so as to be easily moved when necessary, This bed is supported upon the inwardly-projecting shoulders or ledges A of the frame A, as shown in Fig.2, and is i so much shorterand narrower than the said frame as toleave a space of about two and one-half inches all-round between the edge of the bed and theframe. The frame is extended upward above the surface of the bed a distaiice ofsome two and one-half inches. 'By this construction a pocket or channel, a, is

formed. as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The extension of the sides or upper portion of the frame above the surface of the bed of the table is also to prevent the bowls from rolling off during the act of playing. The corners of the bed B are rounded off, as shown by black V lines in Fig. 1, and across the bed, at a distance of about three feet from each end thereof, lines B B are drawn straight across its surface, and between which and the respective ends of the table the bowls must be started. Exactly in the longitudinal center of these lines holes b are formed in the bed 13 toreceive a peg, b. This peg ought to'be of a suflicient length to permit its shouldered lower end to fit deep enoughinto the holesb to give it a firm support, and yet leave it projecting upward above the surface of the table-bed B a'distance of about two and one-half inches,

or so as to bring its upper end in a plane I with the upper edge of the frame A. The upper end of the peg is provided with a small vertical hole to receive a pivot-pin,-c, in one end of thefindicator or distance gage 0,". shown in Fig. 2. This indicator consists of a small straight bar or rod, of wood or metal,

of a length equal to half the width of the bed B, and is provided with a movable slide, a, the lowerend of which rests upon the surface of the table, and which is made adjustable upon the bar or rod by means of a setscrew, or any other proper deviceQ The length of this slide, from the point where the rod passes through it to the lower end, should be about two and one-half inches, or so as to bring said rod horizontally above the bed B when the indicator is applied, for the purpose hereinafter set forth. 1) D, Fig.3, are the bowls, twelve in number, and six of which are white and the remaining six black. These.

bowls are numbered from one to six,inclusive, thus forming two sets of different colors,

but in all other respectsexactly alike, and

are made of flat circular pieces of hardwood,

about four and one-half inches in diameter,

and one and three-fourths inch thick, re-

sembling somewhat a truncated cone with convex edges; or on one face of the bowl the rim or edge is terminated outwardly with a slight bevel, and on the other face it is slightly rounded, as shown in Fig.7. This form of construction renders the game more intricate by requiring a greater degree of skill in bowling on the part of the players, in order to send their bowls in the desired direction.

E E, Fig. 4, are twelve small ballssix white and six blacknumbered from 1 to 6 in the same manner as the bowls D D, and F, Fig. 5, is a case, of wood or other proper material, for containing them. These balls are for the purpose of determining who shall be partners, and who are to have the first play in starting the game. The manner in which they are used will be described hereafter.

Gr, Fig. 6, is a marker or game-keeper, consisting of a dial, G, one half of the surface of which is black and the other half white, to correspond with the two sets of bowls. This dial has-two hands or pointers, g one for each half of the dial, and corresponding in color thereto. There are two sets of figures, ranging from 1 to 12, inscribed upon the dial, as shown in the drawing; and underneath the same a bell may be so arranged as to strike when one of the pointers reaches. the end of one set of figuresythus indicating the close of the game.

The marker may be inclosed in a case of any approved form of construction, and will prove useful in keeping the count of various other games as -well as that of table-bowling,

for which it is specially designed.

Method of playing the gmne.'-The game of table-bowling may be-played by two, or as manyas twelve, persons at onetime. When more than two engage, partners will be selected. Supposing six persons are to play,

the first step to be taken is to put into the case F three whiteballs, E, and three black balls, E, said difierently-colored balls being numbered, respectively, from 1 to 3.. These balls are then shaken up in the case, and

dropped out one at a time into the hands of 'b, is then inserted in the hole bat one end of the table, as shown in Fig. 1, and the players take their places at the opposite end, ready to begin the game. The player having N o. 1

white bowl commences the game by bowling or rolling his piece upon its edge toward the peg b, the object being to place it as near to the pegas possible. Care must be taken to that end. of the table at which the players stand, for,-if started inside the line, the bowl cannot be counted. The player having No. 1 black bowl follows N o. 1 white, and endeavors to place his bowl nearer to the peg 1) than that of his antagonist, either by rolling inside of it or by displacing it by rolling his own bowl against it. No. 2 white follows No. 1 black, and so on alternately, the same objects being kept in view, until all theplayers have bowled. The peg b may be then transferred to the other end of the table, the positions of .the players correspondingly changed, and thus the bowls rolled back and forth until the game is finished. v

The number of points in the game may be decided on by the players before beginning to play, and; are to be'thus counted: After all the players have bowled, they determine which of the two bowls bearing the same number is nearest to the peg, scoring one for that color which is found to be so.

. By way of illustration reference is made to Fig. 1, in which the dotted lines represent the respective courses D D, which were started from the line B, as shown.

in rear of the peg b. and, starting at y, described a curve until it reached No. 1 white, which it knocks fartheraway, itself remaining nearest the peg, and in about the position formerly occupied by the peg, one would have been counted upon the white half of the dial in a similar manner.

Each successive number played will be scored or counted in the same manner, the aggregate number of tallies or points made with the bowls, which are all of the same color, deciding the game in favor'of the player or side making the highest score.

If desirable, separate scores of the game may, in a similar manner, be kept between individual players who are antagonists.

Should a bowl roll or be driven into the pocket or channel a, it is considered dead,

and is not to be counted in making up the tally of the game."

In case dispute arises as to which of the bowls of corresponding numbers ,is nearest the peg, the indicator 0 is used'to determine it, by placing the pivot-pin cin the holein the hole in the top of the peg against or toward which the bowls were rolled, as shown in Fig.

2, and adjusting the movable slide 0 to the distance one of said bowls is from the peg,

and then carrying the free end of the indi-' cator-to the other bowl, upon doing which'the difl'erence in distance, if any, from*the"peg,

will easily be perceived. I It will readily be seen that the game of ta- In this case No. 1, white was bowled first, and, starting at w, described a slight curve, finally stopped just;

N0. 1 black followed,

ble bowling above described, though simple in its details, and comparatively inexpensive, so far as the necessary means for playing it are concerned, is nevertheless amusing, and requires some considerable skill on the part of those engaging in it, to enable them to roll the bowls so as to accomplish the objects desired.

It also affords a lightand agreeable exercise,

'1. The table, consisting of a frame, A, pro

vided with the bed B, pocket or channel a, and peg b, in combination with the bowls D D, substantially as and; for the purpose described.

2. In a game apparatus, the combination with the table,consistingof the frame A, provided with the pocket at, bed B, and peg b, the bowls D D and the, balls E E, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. In a game apparatus, the combination with the table, consisting of the frame A, bed

I B, pocket a, and peg b, of the bowls .D D,

balls E E, and the indicator or measuringgage O, substantiallyas and for the purpose described. l

4. In a game apparatus, the combination with the table, consisting of the frame A, bed B, peg I), and pocket at, of the bowls DD,

balls E E, indicator 0, and the marker or game-keeper Gr, provided with a dial, G, having two sets of figures arranged upon opposite sides of the diametric center thereof, which said-sides differ from. each other in color, and the pointers g g, corresponding in color to the respective portions of the dial, substantially as and for the purpose de scribed.

5. I claim the circular bowls, having their faces made flat and their rims convex, and united'to one face of the bowls by a slightlybcvclel surface, and with the other face by a slightly-rounded surface, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In witness that I claim the foregoing as my invention I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

' THEOPHIL STEVENS.

' Witnesses: v

GEO. B. JoNEs, PETERIVER MEULEN. 

